Comedy

Liberal Arts (2012)

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(Originally from Facebook – September 28, 2013)

Yes, another one. I can’t help myself. It’s a sickness.
Things I learned by watching this film:
1. Actor/Director Josh Radnor will have a career beyond “How I Met Your Mother”‘s Ted Moseby. (Although, since he plays a character very similar to Moseby, it may be on the director’s side of the camera.)
2. Elizabeth Olsen is clearly the most talented of the Olsen sisters, and I’m predicting she’s going to have a fairly successful road ahead of her. (Go see Martha Marcy May Marlene if you haven’t already.)
3. In small doses, Zac Efron is not bad. Good, even.
4. Richard Jenkins is good in everything.
5. This film has been overlooked. (By me, for sure, but a lot of others, too, I bet.)
6. Olsen, although sort of plain-looking, can be sexy as hell.
7. I’m not tired of this genre of film.

I could probably go on, but let me just say that it’s a sweet little independent film that, if you can get past seeing Radnor as his “HIMYM” character, will provide you with an evening’s entertainment without having to resort to explosions, cussin’, or zombies. Olsen is really the gem here, but the rest of the cast does a good job, too. (running time 1:37)

Don Jon (2013)

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(Originally from Facebook – December 21, 2013)

Terribly disappointed with this. I’m a huge JGL fan, and have liked pretty much everything he’s been in…until now. Don’t know where the IMDB 7.0 rating is coming from. (Also, STILL don’t understand the Scarlett Johansson thing…)* (running time 1:30)

* I ended up giving it a 4 on IMDB. And it’s almost four years later, and still don’t get the appeal of Johansson.

The World’s End (2013)

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(Originally from Facebook – December 25, 2013)

Great movie, and the third of the trilogy, after Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. (I’m not counting that weird ET one.) It’s too bad I can’t tell you much about it. Believe me, you don’t want me to. Don’t even read the description below!* Just watch it. I will say that it stands a very good chance of cracking my top 10 of 2013. (running time 1:49)

* This was originally posted on Facebook, and the movie blurb was below the post. But don’t go read it!

Red 2 (2013)

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(Originally from Facebook – August 2, 2013)

Going to keep this one short. You know what you’re getting into with this one, especially if you’ve seen the first one. It’s not highbrow cinema, by any means. It’s frenetic, and often times unbelievable, but it’s also a lot of fun. I thought Parker and Malkovich were quite funny, and I have a bit of a man-crush on Willis, so any movie that he’s in, I’m going to watch. IMDB gives it a 7.2, which seems very high, especially when taking into account some of the critical reviews out there. I really enjoyed it, and I think if you liked the first one, you’ll like this one, too. I’m giving it a 6, or 6.5 if you’re a fan of any of the players. (running time 1:56)

Saturday Morning Mystery (2012)

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(Originally from Facebook – July 30, 2013)

I really, really wanted to like this, once I heard the premise. Imagine “Scooby Doo, Where Are You?” done in a real-life, real-horror version. So much potential. I was imagining something along the lines of Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, which I thought was brilliant. Unfortunately, this film took itself too seriously. Other than the fact that you’ve got four kids (properly stereotyped), a van, and a dog, there’s little direct connection to the Scoobies, for copyright reasons, I’m sure. They tried, though, even including a version of the “hallway-door-opening” scene made famous by the cartoons. But all the jokes fell flat. There’s no Old Man So-and-So behind the haunting of the old carnival here, either. The horror is much more disturbing than that, but they’re hardly original baddies. The performances (all by unknowns) weren’t too bad, considering, but they just weren’t enough.

If you’ve always wanted to know what Fred and Daphne do when no one else is around, or wondered why the cops never caught Shaggy with any drugs, then maybe it’s worth a watch for you. I found it to be terribly sad that they wasted a great premise with kind of a dull film. IMDB says 4.7, which is probably about right, but I’m giving it a 4, just for getting my hopes up. (running time 1:23)

 

Frances Ha (2012)

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(Originally from Facebook – December 26, 2013)

I really wanted to love this. I even thought, based on what I had read about it, that it might be a top 10 contender. Greta Gerwig is always good, and so appealing, and I think it was her performance that made the movie bearable for me. But I also think it has a very particular audience, and I’m not it. My feeling is that the people who will love this are, not surprisingly, the same sort of people that populate the film. It wasn’t horrible, just…disappointing. IMDB: 7.4. Me: 5.0. (running time 1:26)

Computer Chess (2013)

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(Originally from Facebook – December 26, 2013)

Another one that I thought from the buzz had a chance at my top 10 of the year. Let me tell you straight away–you will not like this movie. I did, but I don’t think I could recommend it to anybody. Or maybe I should say I was intrigued by it. I like films that really capture another time. I don’t mean digitally filmed period pieces, or films by Tarantino that want to have the best of both worlds; I mean films that feel like they were made in a different time; that have an almost slavish devotion to the period. It’s one of the reasons I really loved The House of the Devil (2009), even though most people I know hated it. This film feels for all the world like a documentary shot in the Eighties, from the black and white, artifact-ridden cinematography to the occasionally-out-of-sync sound. The story, though, is what will turn people off. It’s the story of a computer chess tournament, on the surface at least. But it becomes strangely surreal, and I’m not sure I mean that in a good way.

I guess it’s technically a mockumentary, but if you’re looking for something in the vein of This is Spinal Tap or Best of Show, you’ll want to look elsewhere. IMDB gives it a 6.3, and I gave it a 5. (running time 1:32)

 

That’s What I Am (2011)

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So, okay–I’ve been watching movies, but been falling down on the job of reviewing them. I thought that in order to keep things moving here, I’d post some of the old Facebook reviews I did, as they come up in my history. In most cases, they’re not as long as my usual ones, and I don’t think I always give them a number rating, either. I’d do so now, but I don’t even remember some of them that well anymore. Take the case of this one. I obviously liked it, but can barely remember it.

“The Wonder Years” meets an “Afterschool Special.” It was a little syrupy, and a couple of times I wondered which of those two it wanted to be. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. We’ve all had our Mary Clears, Mr. Simons, and Big G’s, I suppose. It’s not terribly deep or complicated, and the lessons presented are done so in fairly broad strokes, but it’s a good movie for a weekend afternoon…and you can watch it with your kids! (Middle-school age or above, I would think.) IMDB puts it at a 6.8, which is right about where I’d put it, too. (running time 1:41)

Last Cab to Darwin (2015)

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So I’ve been trying to work my way through all of the “brand name” films, trying to put together my end of the year list, and I thought I’d take a break and slide this film in as a sort of “palate cleanser” with no hope of it being anything more than that. Wow, was I wrong. This might be one of my favorite film experiences this year. It’s no secret that I have a soft spot for films from Down Under, and although this one might benefit from my bias, I feel comfortable recommending it to anyone. It’s not a film filled, like so many others this year, with heroic action sequences, stylistic camerawork, witty dialogue, or over-the-top violence. It’s a film about believable, real characters dealing with an, unfortunately, all-to-real situation. And I can tell you, as I sit here writing this with a tear still on my cheek and a smile on my face, it will make you care about these people. Continue reading →

The Lobster (2015)

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I’m not sure how to describe this film, except maybe to say imagine if Logan’s Run was written by Woody Allen and directed by Terry Gilliam (or maybe Wes Anderson). Colin Farrell, who I normally don’t think much of, gives a nice, understated performance here as David, a newly-single man from a mildly Orwellian future, who is shipped off to stay at a hotel (Room 101!) where denizens are all single, and must find a mate within 45 days or be turned into an animal of their choosing (in David’s case, a lobster) and released into the forest. He’s got nerdy glasses and a paunch, and (perhaps because he’s relying less on his looks) I don’t think I’ve seen him better. Continue reading →